Return to Darby Wells

It’s good to be back.

In reality Black Mountain is green.

I don’t know what it is that draws me to this particular spot in the desert. It may sound silly, but I feel affection for this place.

I leave Bridget and Spike in the PTV (Perfect Tow Vehicle) until I position the BLT (Best Little Trailer) exactly how I want it in front of my bird feeder tree. I look up at Black Mountain and notice that now it’s green all the way to its peak. Scanning the landscape I notice the desert is greener all over.

The Green Desert

I can see the subtle changes, the slightly fuller palo verde, a few tiny, purple, ground flowers, and the gold ocotillo.

Ocotillo, Saguaro, Black Mountain

The crew is fussing to get out.

I place them on the ground where they hesitate for a moment. I can see recognition appearing in their minds. Spike looks up the lane to Rick’s place and takes off. Lady rounds the bend and lopes down to meet him. Spike is shivering with excitement! They run up together to Rick’s place, while Bridget and I follow.

We're back at our favorite camp at Darby Wells! That's Al and Kelly's place (Bayfield Bunch) in the background. (View from the lane to Rick's place)

Rick comes out of his Scamp with a smile.

Al on his way to Rick's place

“Well, hello, Sue.” Rick greets me with his usual understatement.

Soon Al of Travels with the Bayfield Bunch comes trudging up the lane, too.

Gee, it’s good to be back!

If you click on the link, you’ll see Al’s photos of Kelly and me on a couple of his recent pages. You’ll also see a photo of Ann and Bill outside their Casita.

Ann and Bill find a pretty camp further up the road.

Bill and Ann have a Casita Spirit.

To our surprise, Chuck and Geri arrive shortly thereafter, having driven straight through from Yuma. Unfortunately they only stay two days because they’re having electrical problems.

Ann and Bill plan to leave on Sunday. Sunday comes and they decide to leave on Monday. They take long hikes and do a lot of exploring in their Tacoma truck.

The crew and I walk up the dirt road to their camp for a late afternoon visit.

Ann shows me the seat in their Casita that’s perfectly positioned for viewing the sunset. She describes the flowers they saw and the Indian cemetery and the mine and the windmill and . . . . We saw tracks! . . . I think they’re javelina! Her eyes are full of wonder. “It’s beautiful here!”

It’s fun hearing her describe their discoveries.

Bill joins in now and then, but mostly smiles and listens quietly along with me. As the crew and I step out of their Casita for the walk back to our campsite, Ann promises, “We’ll stop by in the morning on our way out to say goodbye.”

Meanwhile the sunset that evening is mesmerizing.

Great swaths of orange sweep across the clouds all the way from Cow Plop Mountain (named for how it looks, not what it’s made of!) to Black Mountain. I know Ann and Bill are seeing the sunset, too, and must be as awestruck as I am.

The next morning they come up the lane in their truck. They’re all smiles. “We’ve decided to stay another day.”

Now for a report of a different nature . . .

Name this plant. This is a quiz.

It’s become apparent I need to dump the waste tanks. I suppose I should have done so on the way through Ajo upon arrival. I’m such a miser – after all, it costs TEN WHOLE DOLLARS – I figured I’d wait until the black tank is completely full, probably in four or five days.

Unfortunately, I haven’t quite learned to estimate accurately how long I can go between dumps. Staying at campgrounds I would often stop at the restrooms on walks with the crew. And then I have a tendency not to keep track of details such as when I can expect not to be able to use my toilet. I’m guessing about twelve days. Today is day number nine, and the crapper has had just about enough. Anyway . . .

The crew and I take the BLT (Best Little Trailer) down to Belly Acres RV Park, dump the tanks, fill up with water, and pay the ten smackers.

Supper is a vegetable plate of red potatoes, English peas, whole berry cranberry sauce, and radishes. There’s no explaining that combination so I won’t even try.

In the early evening we sit outside to watch another sunset.

I throw a blanket down on the mat and wrap Spike up, all except his head. Bridget hops up into my lap and wiggles inside my coat. The three of us watch the late diners pecking at the seed buffet on the ground beyond the mat. The saguaro make stark silhouettes against the light of the setting sun. Bridget’s chubby body is warm against mine. I think about the fullness of our day, the good people in our life, and the peacefulness of this place.

I wonder about the future.

How many more sunsets will we see? Bridget wiggles her behind to settle deeper into the seat and the warmth of my coat. My mind wanders back to now as the light fades to darkness.

34 Responses to Return to Darby Wells

No, it is not silly to have affection for a place. I think we all have places that touch our hearts. Your love for Darby Wells is evident in your writing and it is a joy to read. Love the photos of the greening desert – what a wondrous place.

Outstanding blog, Sue, and very well written. I am really enjoying reading it. But, it is giving me a yearning to return again to Quartzite next year and wander around the west with my smaller Casita and Jeep. It is just so far from Florida. What system do you use for uploading daily to your blog?

Welcome to my blog (if I haven’t already done so) . . . and thank you for the compliment.

I know what you mean about Florida being so far. I’d love to plan a trip to visit my sister in southern Florida, but, whew, that’s a lot of miles and a lot of gas.

I’m not sure I know what you mean by my system . . . Sometimes I write things “in my head” while I’m out walking the crew or watching the birds or doing some chore. I type on Word. My photos are imported from my memory card onto LivePhoto where I crop them, correct the usually crooked horizon(!), and resize them.

I select and paste what I’ve written into wordpress. Then I move the photos from LivePhoto. . . if I’m lucky and don’t lose signal in the process . . .again and again !!!

I have always found the peacefulness of the desert to be mesmerizing. You cannot beat the sunrises and sunsets out there. After Quartzsite I will be heading east to Ruidoso, NM for a few days to check on my little business that I own there. On my way home I might check out Darby Wells. Sandi

Hi Sue,As usual a really great post. MMMMM In my minds eye I can see the landscape as you describe it so well. I cna imagine I am there and life is really great. I am on the Cave Run Lake here in Eastern,Ky where its a bit cold but livable. We are having a very mild Winter here. Look forward to your next post…..HoboJoe

The feeling in this post is just what my very best days and places of RVing convey. It’s almost spiritual and wish I could sprout wings and be right there with you. I’m definitely going to seek out this place. Love reading your blog.

This is your best daily blog ever. I was sitting right beside you, being happy with my life, enjoying the sunset, the dogs, and could even hear the sounds. Don’t stop writing – since I get to live vicariously through you when you write blogs such as this one.

Thanks for addressing the delicate question I had in my mind about your grey and black water tanks when boondocking. What do you do about getting rid of your daily trash, i.e. soup cans, coffee grounds, etc.?

Just got back from a trip to FL in our 17′ SD. Wanted so much to join you in Quartzsite, but the weather across the south on I-10 was awful, so made plans to go to the desert in May, which is probably too late to see the windflowers bloom :(. We were once stopped by a state trooper in Utah, while parked by the side of the highway, just admiring the blooming cacti. He couldn’t believe that we were so in awe of the blooms. Hope you get a chance to see the beauty of Utah when it warms up a bit. It’s unlike any other state. Where do you plan to summer?

I hope you enjoyed your Florida trip in your Casita. Interesting anecdote about the state trooper. Beauty is where you find it and some people have a hard time seeing it.

I do plan to visit Utah this summer. You aren’t the first to say it’s unlike any other state and that it’s beautiful.

Thanks for reading my blog and encouraging me to keep writing.

Oh, I almost forgot to answer your question. I put grease and garbage in a coffee can or other closed container and take it to the dumpster in town. I make an effort to recycle paper and plastic, rarely burn because I don’t make a lot of campfires. If it’s something like an orange peel, I put it in a tree for the hummingbirds, but I’m mindful of attracting rodents. The PTV is my great big garbage can until I make a trip into town!

Comments are closed.

Meet the canine crew!

Roger (left) and Reggie (right)

What is the BLT?

The BLT is what I consider the Best Little Trailer, a 2011 17-foot Casita Liberty Deluxe which was the full-time home for me and my crew from August 2011 to May 2018.

What is the PTV?

The PTV is the Perfect Tow Vehicle. It's a 2005 Chevy Express Van with a V-8, 5.3 liter engine and equipped with a 200-watt solar panel on the roof and two AGM batteries inside.

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A blogorino is a reader who opens up the comment section of this blog and writes a message. Blogorinos are kind and friendly and fun to know!